Top Stories
FIR Of Confessional Nature Made By Accused Not Substantive Evidence Of Guilt By Itself: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (Aug. 5) set aside the conviction of a murder convict, who was convicted based on the confessional FIR registered by him. The Court held that the confessional FIR filed by the appellant, being barred under Section 25 of the Evidence Act, could not by itself form the basis for conviction in the absence of strong corroborative evidence establishing guilt. With the...
Judicial Supervision Vs. Constitutional Autonomy of High Courts
India's federal judicial structure balances the Supreme Court's role as the apex interpreter of the Constitution with the High Courts' constitutional autonomy. On 04.08.2025, the Supreme Court, in M/s. Shikhar Chemicals v. The State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr. (Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No. 11445/2025), issued administrative directives to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, raising concerns about judicial overreach. This article examines the facts of the case, the Supreme Court's...
Sessions Court Can Summon Additional Accused At Committal Stage Under S.193 CrPC : Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 5) held that there is nothing wrong with a Court of Sessions summoning an additional accused to stand trial at the committal stage under Section 193 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan explained that a Court takes cognizance of the "offence" and not of the "offender" and if the Court, during...
Supreme Court Refuses To Entertain Plea Against Centre's Notification Of ISIS As Terrorist Organisation
The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a challenge to the government notifications whereby the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and others, were declared as 'terrorist organizations' under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi disposed of the matter, being of the view that instead of challenging the government...
'Education Now An Industry' : Supreme Court Strikes Down Centre's Exemption For Educational Buildings From Environmental Clearance
The Supreme Court today struck down a part of the Centre's January 29, 2025 notification that had exempted construction projects related to industrial sheds, schools, colleges, and hostels from obtaining prior environmental clearance under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006.A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran held that this exemption,...
'What Use Of Keeping Accused In Jail For Optics?' : Supreme Court Stresses Need For Effective Prosecution
During the hearing of a plea seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to businessman-Suryakant Tiwari in the Chhattisgarh Coal Levy 'Scam' case, the Supreme Court today lamented that accused these days are kept in jails only for the 'optics of prosecution', while states follow 'archaic' prosecution strategies and fail to prioritize protection of witnesses."We only send people to jail and...
S.142 NI Act | Cheque Dishonour Complaint To Be Filed Where Payee Maintains Bank Account; Not Place Of Presentation : Supreme Court
The Supreme Court reiterated that the territorial jurisdiction for a complaint for the offence of cheque dishonour under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is with the Court having jurisdiction over the place where the payee maintains his bank account through which the cheque was delivered for collection. The jurisdiction is not where the cheque was physically presented for...
Ordinance Made For Better Administration Of Banke Bihari Temple; No Intention To Interfere With Religious Rights : UP Govt Tells Supreme Court
In pleas challenging the Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, the Uttar Pradesh government urged before the Supreme Court today that it did not intend to interfere with any religious rights by means of the Ordinance. It further claimed that the Ordinance will soon be placed before the Legislative Assembly for ratification."Let me clarify the Ordinance first...it has nothing to...
Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Challenging ONGC Relaxing Height Criteria For Tribal & Hill Area Candidates
The Supreme Court has issued notice on a petition challenging the differential height criteria prescribed for general category and Scheduled Caste candidates as compared to tribal or hill area domicile candidates for the post of Junior Fire Supervisor at ONGC. The bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan agreed to examine the issue while hearing a plea filed by P. Ashok Kumar,...